‘To see myself in big positions, I must think big’

Rubya Haider Jhelik hit a match-winning half-century on ODI debut to help Bangladesh start their 2025 ICC Women's World Cup campaign with a win. But Jhelik's form and the Tigresses' fortunes, dipped from then on. Jhelik is now undergoing specific drills to improve her footwork with an eye on the upcoming T20 World Cup qualifiers. The Daily Star's Abdullah Al Mehdi recently caught up with her. The excerpts are as follows:

The Daily Star (DS): How special was it to make your ODI debut in a World Cup?

Rubya Haider Jhelik (RHJ): I was very excited to go to a stage like the World Cup, and I was very excited that my debut would happen there. I was confident because I had a good preparation before going to the World Cup. My family never imposed any expectations on me. They always said, "Do whatever you want, but whatever happens, it will be good." That made me feel free.

DS: Can you share a bit about your journey in cricket?

RHJ: The journey started when I was very young. A press release was published in a local newspaper in Jashore that a practice session for girls was going to take place. My maternal uncle was the first to suggest that I should play. My father really wanted his first-born, if it were a boy, to learn cricket. But I was his first born, a girl. So, my father said, "Okay, let her try, let's see what happens." I couldn't play much because of academic pressure, as family always put that first. I studied and couldn't play during my SSC and HSC exams. But slowly I first made it to divisional cricket in Khulna, and then NCL and after that the Premier League.

When I was new in the divisional team, I carried water for the team for 2-3 years. Then, I slowly thought that, "No, I think I can achieve something better if I pursue this professionally, especially since I had good skills from a young age." So, that's how I started taking cricket more seriously.

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DS: What was the atmosphere of the World Cup like for you?

RHJ: It's a different feeling because the atmosphere there is different. It felt like a dream to me at that time. I got the opportunity to see many good players up close, learn about their skills, their confidence, and knowledge. Seeing them, it felt they thought differently about cricket; they have totally different dreams. Seeing them I realised that the expectation should be more on one's own shoulders because if I want to see myself in a big position, I must think big.

DS: Who inspired you the most in the World Cup?

RHJ: Smriti Mandhana, I watched her batting in the last match. As a lefty, I liked her batting more because she looked cool and calm while batting. Alyssa Healy, too and struck a ton against us. Seeing them, it felt like they could read minds or something, that's how they play cricket.

DS: After seeing them up close, what do you think makes them special?

RHJ: They have been playing cricket for many years, and experience matters a lot. Match scenarios and practice scenarios are different. I think as they have played more, they are more mature than us.

DS: Did you talk to anyone personally?

RHJ: No, I didn't get to talk to anyone up close like that, because to talk to them, you have to go up to them. Due to our protocols, we couldn't go. But yes, sometimes, when they scored a century or a fifty, I said something like "Good batting," or they would appreciate us when we batted, and say something like, "You are doing well. If you work hard, you will be better next time." They encourage the players like that.

DS: Regarding the hunger to win, how do you compare Bangladesh from the rest of the teams?

RHJ: Every team certainly has a hunger to win, but maybe we couldn't prove that by winning more games. That's why perhaps you feel that we did not have enough hunger, but that's not the case. Our opponents were better at handling the pressure situation, we couldn't handle it as well. Maybe that's why we lost the matches. Even though we failed, we learned a lot from it.

DS: You are a left-handed batter, which is a rarity in women's cricket in Bangladesh. Has that ever been an issue for you?

RHJ: I was a lefty from a young age. I used to eat with my left hand, I used to write with my left hand, so I even got scolded a lot for it. "Why are you not eating with your right hand?" people would say. But when I held the bat with my left hand, my coach was very happy. That's when I thought, "Being a lefty maybe means something special."

DS: What do you think you need to succeed here?

RHJ: Fitness is a big issue. Secondly, consistency in scoring runs. In all the big teams, almost all the players consistently make runs. They don't score a 50 or a 100 every game. By consistency, I mean, they make a 25 or 30 almost every game. After I started very well in the World Cup in my debut match, I was confident that I would score runs consistently. But somehow I couldn't manage that. But I feel I have gathered a lot of experience from the World Cup.

DS: Reflex exercises are part of your individual training routine. What's the thinking behind it?

RHJ: I think footwork and using the crease are the most important things for us. I saw that players of all the big teams excel at going down the track, or at using the crease to play various shots. Quick use of feet, body reaction, and movement are also very important. I think if I can work on that, maybe I will get some help in my batting. I am currently working on footwork and reaction movement. The drill from Shajib bhai [batting coach Nasirddin Faruk Shajib] focuses on batting skills, footwork, and how one can shift one's body movement towards the ball along with footwork.

DS: How much guidance did you get from the team management during the World Cup?

RHJ: The team management helps us a lot. The biggest thing is that they keep us mentally free. There was a huge change in my batting after the tour with the emerging team where I worked with Shajib bhai. I think it's important to have that freedom to work on specific things in batting. I think he understands us very well. And our management also helps us enough, regarding what we need, when, or what would be better for us next. If we are mentally very upset, they motivate us.

DS: The lofted drive seemed like a very favourite shot of yours?

RHJ: Those lofted shots come naturally to me. When I scored 33 runs in the practice match against Sri Lanka, I got a lot of runs from lofted shots. Even against Pakistan, the lofted shot is my favorite shot. But somehow, I got out playing the same shot many times in the World Cup. It was not possible to work on that specifically in that short time, but Shajib Bhai did say to try to curb it. But since the shot came naturally to me, it kept happening. But now, I am working on it. I have talked to them, and they said that if I work on a few things, it will be fixed.

DS: What drills are you currently doing?

RHJ: It's for footwork. Foot movement and bat swing. The NCL (T20) is coming up soon. Now I am trying to see if I can apply it somehow there and fix this area.

DS: What is the most cherished memory of the World Cup for you?

RHJ: My biggest achievement is that Pakistan match. Because when I debuted, I was given the cap by Joty (captain Nigar Sultana Joty). She told me, "Bring a lot of good things for Bangladesh. We will always hope for that." And when I was asked to give a speech, I told them that if we could win today's match, it would become a memorable moment in my life. Everyone appreciated it a lot. When I finished the match and came back, everyone was very excited, because our first match was a good win. Everyone was very excited, and there was a lot of confidence among everyone that, "Yes, maybe we will achieve something great in the World Cup this time."

DS: In the World Cup, Bangladesh defeated Pakistan, came close to winning against England and South Africa, and let a victory slip away against Sri Lanka. What did you personally feel about those matches?

RHJ: I was very sad when we lost matches after coming close to winning. Against England, we dropped Heather Knight's catch. If we had gotten her wicket, we could have won, but bad luck. The most heartbreaking ones were against South Africa and Sri Lanka. I mean, after losing to South Africa, we couldn't sleep for 2-3 nights. The sadness and pain we experienced at the time is impossible for anyone to explain.

DS: Did you discuss among yourselves later about why did you lose?

RHJ: We couldn't prove ourselves at that time. The management never forced us or said anything. They always said, "You are capable, but you just need to prove it by winning the matches." To win matches, small mistakes must be corrected. There is no room for big mistakes here, and because of the small mistakes, we lose matches in the last moment. So they said, "You will be able to correct these. Don't worry about what's gone; focus on what's next."

DS: Even though you won only one match, what is the team's assessment of the World Cup?

RHJ: Among the good memories, we had eight fifties this time in the World Cup. Although, we were hoping for a century, but it didn't happen. Sobhana [Mostary] hit two fifties, [Sharmin Akter] Supta apu made two fifties, Joty scored one, Shorna [Akter] has one. Overall, we were very happy that at least we could perform better in some areas than before. At the 2022 World Cup, we hit just one half-century, this time there were eight. So, I think we have improved. But we have also definitely noted down our lapses. I think if we work on those, we can achieve much better than this.

DS: What are your thoughts on the Women's NCL T20?

RHJ: In the T20 format, you certainly cannot overthink. You have to score runs very quickly. Since the NCL is coming up, I'm focusing on scoring runs quickly and working on that. I think I should focus more on strike rotation.

DS: The T20 World Cup qualifiers are coming up. What are your plans regarding that?

RHJ: That's why the NCL has been organised for us, because the qualifiers are coming up. The ODI and T20 formats are totally different. T20 requires a lot of energy. So, we have been told to focus more on the T20 format. Since the qualifiers are coming up, we will learn a lot from this.

DS: Is there a separate plan for batting in T20s?

RHJ: A separate plan for T20 batting means we must focus on big shots. Strike rotation too, of course. And footwork usage is definitely a factor. I am thinking about focusing on those areas.